Open Palm
by kitkat127
Summary: She looked outside the window forgetting everything. He looked around the room observing everything. Their eyes don't meet and probably their lives shouldn't either. They were different. But Kuroko sometimes looked at her way only to be met by the back of her head. Maybe there is something about two people sometimes looking at the same direction.
1. Chapter 1: Eraser

She looked outside the window forgetting everything. Often times, she'd stop looking, cock her head sideways then scribble on her notebook with her eyebrows furrowed together. The whole first week of class she had her own little world, barely listening to the teachers' lesson.

"Erika, will you please pay attention?" her teacher called out impatiently.

She hung her head low at the fixed attention her classmates was giving her when her name was called out.

"I'm sorry, I'll try." She replied.

A few chuckled at her answer; she wondered briefly what made them react like that. She was about to go back at her own little world when she was tapped on her shoulder.

"Excuse me; can you please pick up my eraser? It fell somewhere at your foot."

She bent down to look for the eraser, picked it up and placed it on the waiting open palm.

"Thank you." Her seatmate said.

"You're welcome." She went back to her own little world without looking at her seatmate.

Kuroko looked around the classroom observing everything. He didn't fail to notice how his teacher clicked at his tongue with impatience at them, or the student in front of him chewing at the cap of the ballpen with boredom, or how a girl kept glancing back looking at someone (probably her crush) then hastily look at board.

He also noticed how his seatmate avoided eye contact with everyone since the first day. Usually he'd just introduce himself since it's okay because they're seatmates, the first time he'd tried to, the girl was blankly looking out the window with her lips pressed together firmly. He saw a trickle of tear run down her cheek. He decided that he'd just give her space and instead focus on getting into the Seirin's basketball team.

The second day, he wasn't sure how to approach her since girls had always been unpredictable. They always have this mood swings. When her pencil fell down from her desk, he bent down to pick it up and it seemed the girl didn't even notice that it fell down.

"I fell in love once before..." He thought he heard the girl sing under her breath "Now I won't be falling for that anymore."

He assumed the girl had probably had her heart broken so he decided to place the pencil on her desk without disturbing her.

In the end he played with the thought of introducing himself to her. There was no point since he'd spend most of his time on basketball and besides she would probably forget his name anyway.

In the morning, after the second time Kuroko met Kagami and the whole Seirin basketball team at Maji burger, he saw the girl leave a box of chalk at the courtyard. He briefly wondered why, when he picked it up there was a note in it that read

_This is for a promise._

So he used the chalk to write his promise. And when everyone looked at it, they smiled. Even her.

Now, he looked at the eraser on his palm oddly. The small thing felt queer as if it wasn't quite the thing he was asking for. His hand felt something missing and it was weird because the eraser was still the same.

Kuroko looked at his seatmate on his left. Her hair was white and it flowed down her waist. The girl had a slim figure, though a bit lacking at the chest. Their eyes didn't meet but he noticed that she had red eyes, deep like Kagami's.

"Okay class, let's have a seatwork." The teacher's voice pulled him away from his thoughts.

He looked at the board and started answering on his notebook. He didn't know why but he took a glance at his seatmate. The girl always had her own little world and then he noticed that the girl wasn't answering their seatwork for getting too lost in thought.

"Hey" Kuroko called softly.

The girl continued looking at the window; it seemed that she hadn't heard him.

"Excuse me but we have a seatwork." Kuroko spoke a little louder this time while tapping her shoulder.

If the girl was surprised with his presence, it didn't show. The girl nodded at him and looked at the board and began writing. With that, Kuroko finished his seatwork and glanced at his seatmate who went back at looking out the window. He leaned to peek at her notebook only to find that what she wrote was only numbers and then she left it blank.

"Why aren't you answering the seatwork?" Kuroko asked.

"I don't know what the answers are." The girl admitted.

Before he could change his mind, he ripped a small piece of paper and scribbled some answers and passed it to her. This time, there was a clear expression of surprise was on her face. She was about to say something when the teacher called out,

"Three minutes left!"

With that she answered (copied) as fast as she can and leaned back on his chair with an impish grin on her lips. The class representative went around and gathered their notebooks and passed it on the teacher. Kuroko tidied his desk when his seatmate thanked him.

"Thank you for that."

"You're welcome but I won't be doing the same favor next time." He replied.

"And by the way, thank you for notifying me about the seat work in a normal way. Usually, at my previous school, my seatmates would surprise me every time they call me out to the point of being difficult to be surprised."

_Ahh._

So that's why she wasn't surprised when he suddenly popped from nowhere (supposedly).

"I'm Erika Sakurada, thank you for being my hero in today's seatwork." She stuck out her hand.

Kuroko stared at her open palm for a moment then looked at her face.

"I'm Tetsuya Kuroko, nice to meet you." He shook her hand.

And then came another odd feeling again, this time it was the same yet different. It was weird how his hand seemed at ease and comfortable with her hand, it was like this was the eraser that he asked for. Curiously, looking at their hands, he slowly intertwined his fingers on hers and felt something fuzzy and warm like it was what his hand had been missing.

From their intertwined hands, he looked up and for the first time, his sky colored eyes met her deep scarlet ones.

XOXOXOXOXOX

**Author's note:**

Was it boring? Comments? Suggestions? Violent Reactions?

Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter 2: Paper Airplane

Open Palm: Chapter 2

"_I'm sorry. We're over." Hearing these words, I barely understood them._

_Maybe if I haven't fallen so hard…_

_I wouldn't be hurting this much._

I looked down at my work; the words I had just written were fresh from the hurt. I then stared out at the window looking at the blue sky.

The thing I liked about the blue sky was because I found it boring. It's just an expanse of blueness above and fluffs of puffy whites would streak it. There was something safe with the color sky blue because I know I wouldn't love it too much or be fascinated with it. I wouldn't stare at it while I walk like how I used to stare at the sunset sky where all warm colors seemed to gather to celebrate the coming of night lights.

So it was _safe._

Speaking of the color sky blue, I glanced at my sky haired seatmate named Kuroko. He was short and has thin limbs, pale skin and wore a rather expressionless, well expression.

And that expression is so unlike of someone I used to know who can act all kinds of emotions and maybe that was how I got played with. Kuroko's expression made me felt safe because that way, I won't get led on by sweet smiles or sad frown or worried lines on the forehead.

Days past since we've introduced ourselves to each other and I liked how he just left me to myself, and when we do exchange lines it's when he calls my attention because there's a seatwork. He didn't talk to me and I liked that. He isn't obligated to talk to me just because we've been introduced. Well, I do appreciate him notifying when there's an activity.

I noticed that Kuroko has a habit of roaming his eyes everywhere in the room and I wondered whether he'd remember everything he observed.

Curiously, I stared at him for too long and whenever you stare at something for too long, your vision become blurred and you think about anything and nothing at the same time.

"Hey" a voice spoke up.

I blinked. My vision coming into focus with Kuroko's face.

"Huh?" I surprised myself.

"You're staring at me."

"Like duh?" I rolled my eyes.

"Duhh?" He seemed to test the word.

"Duh." I repeated and stared at the window again.

"Explain." He spoke again.

"Stick around." I buried my face in my arms, closing my eyes. _And you'll find out._

"Huh?" His tone was flat.

That made me smile. _Duh and Huh? They rhyme, you know_, I thought.

I listened to the teacher drone on about the lesson, any minute I would've fallen asleep but then I felt something was thrown at me and by the light feel of it brushing down my hair, it was a crumpled paper. I looked around for the culprit and no one seemed to be paying attention to my reaction. I narrowed my eyes at my seatmate.

"Kuroko." I called him.

He turned to look at me with a blank stoic expression.

It made me wonder if he's capable of any other expression.

"Why'd you throw paper at me?" I asked, staring hard at his sky colored eyes.

He blinked.

"How'd you know?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

How did his seatmate know that it was him? How?

The pale teenage boy looked at the red eyes teenage girl with a question on his tongue ready to get out.

Why is it that he liked her long curled eye lashes? Or how small and slender fingers are? How there seemed to be a need to feel how soft her hand is?

"It was a guess." She pursed her lips and he noticed how pinkish they were.

His eyes flicked to the crumpled paper on the floor. The girl followed his gaze and she picked it up, tilting her head to her left as if contemplating whether to open it or not. Seemingly making up her mind, she threw the paper through the window.

The girl stuck her tongue out at him and he felt something expand in his chest, surprising him. Maybe there was something about this girl despite the aloof attitude.

Scrunching his eyebrows together, he thought of something. He ripped a page from his notebook and scribbled at it. Afterwards, he folded the paper into an airplane; again he scribbled something on the one side of the paper airplane. He picked it up and held it between his index finger and thumb. The airplane soared to the girl's desk.

_READ_

Erika looked at the word blankly and unfolded the paper.

_You're cute._

She frowned upon the note then shook her head at the sky haired boy. She picked up her ball pen and wrote on the paper. The paper airplane soared back to his desk.

Kuroko calmly opened the note yet somehow his outward demeanor was entirely the opposite inside.

_Cute – small &amp; ugly_

He frowned. So the girl doesn't believe him. Kuroko was the quiet type but he isn't the shy type. He looked around and the teacher was busy writing on the board while his classmates are also busy writing the notes on board.

Purposely, he pushed his eraser sliding from the edge of his desk, bouncing once on the tiled floor and then it rolled between him and the girl. Unfortunately, it didn't reach the girl's feet. The eraser was reachable. He initially planned for the girl to pick it up and glancing at the girl, she was watching him the whole time and that would mean his plan wouldn't work.

And that made him feel a bit nervous.

Being used to people ignorant of his presence, he felt _uneasy_ for her to be watching him.

Pretending to pick up his eraser, he ducked his head down and reached out for the girl's arm, tugging her down to him.

Their faces were so close to each other and Erika glared at his eyes unblinkingly, her mouth set in a tight line and her cheeks flushed with anger. Kuroko's eyes slightly widened with the smell of vanilla, it was _sweet._ Unconsciously and without warning, he leaned in to the girl pressing his lips softly unto the girl's cheek. The heat and the warmth seemed to spread like wildfire reaching even his ears making his lips tingle.

The moment was brief but it seemed like he had been underwater where noises were muffled from his ears. He heard the teacher giving out instructions for an activity so he leaned back and saw crimson eyes reflecting shock.

"You're cute." The clarity if the voice sent the directness to her ears.

Erika calmly pulled away from Kuroko and went back to her seat. She didn't show any signs of emotion, there wasn't even a hint of embarrassment. And so he sat back to his seat with an uncharacteristic annoyance with himself for his impulsiveness.

XOXOXOXOX

I'm an airhead. I admit it. I often daydream and I don't worry about things most people worry about. And maybe because of my poor ability to focus in classroom, that is why I've never worried about gossip.

My seatmate, as I observed, has a quiet nature and so I assumed that he'd never like… like….

Can someone give me a word to describe what just happened?

Where was superman when I needed him?

I noticed as he went back to his seat, he did it silently.

I internally groaned with myself.

See that? I hardly notice anything and now I'm noticing him.

When the bell rang, I bolted out of the classroom, past the stairs and went out from the building.

I need something to hit my head hard with.

THUNK!

"Oww" I held my nose as my face became distorted with pain.

I heard a chuckle and it was soft and low.

I whipped my head around to see Kuroko standing 5 feet behind me.

So, brain? Care to share why the heck I didn't notice the stupid flag pole in front of me but instead heard my seatmate's laugh 5 FEET AWAY FROM ME?!

I glanced again at Kuroko. Now that I looked at him smile, he looks cute.

THUNK! I hit the flag pole second time, this time intentionally.

HOLY RAINBOW UNICORNS!

He's cute?

He's cute?

He's cute?

STOP FUNCTIONING YOU STUPID BRAIN! DO NOT REPEAT UNNECESSARY THOUGHTS! Oh wait, if it stops then I'd be dead. Silly me.

I glanced at him one last time and when our eyes met, he nodded at me with the corner of his mouth in a slightest of a smile.

I controlled the smile creeping up on me but I didn't have control of my heart beating erratically.

1 word:

_Aw shit._

Wait that's actually two words.

Well, whatever.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

**Author's note:**

Comments? Was it too OOC of Kuroko? I'm sorry.


	3. Chapter 3

She was late. She was really, _really `_late. It was not a surprising thing for her to be late, but it was what she was trying to avoid for awhile. Once you fall into a habit, it's hard to get out of it. She scolded herself as if she was scolding another person. Wednesdays usually meant early mornings but it was a habit, a sad and irritating habit to stop by at Lucky café writing on her journal.

It wasn't irritating writing on her journal. Although, she'd be guilty if accused of forgetting the time when it comes to literature.

Stopping at the café while writing on her journal meant passing the time while waiting for someone and that someone used to be someone special. Sad, ain't it?

Erika finally reached her locker and spun the lock, afterwards she shifted her weight to her left leg while bending a bit to take her right outdoor shoe off, replacing it with indoor ones. On the process of doing the same thing to her left feet, she leaned sideways facing the entrance of the school. Just as she stood on both feet wearing her indoor shoes, a blur of red hair was coming towards her and when that blur of red hair passed by her bumping against her shoulders, the force knocked her off.

"Ouch!" She rubbed her shoulders, ignoring the pain on landing on her bum.

"Sorry!" The red haired guy shouted, and knowing her meek personality she would have accepted the apology with no problem but then he added, "You're a munchkin, I didn't see you."

The guy was tall, and loud and rough as he hurriedly went through his locker. And the fact she was only 5 foot tall should have been taken account to reconsider telling off the guy even when it's still in a mild tone.

"I know you're rushing because I'm also late, and as much as I'd accept your apology did you really have to insult my height?"

The guy ignored her, muttering a string of words and she only picked up a few words practice, Kuroko (she mentally shook the interest in her head), test, burger, basketball and phone. Then, she noticed the guy was leaving she called him out but the guy was rushing, she looked at her hand and threw her right outdoor shoe. She wished she could say that her aim was perfect but the truth is that it just sailed over the guy's head.

He turned around, irritated and she could imagine a vein popping on the guy's forehead. She felt panic, regretting her decision. The guy looked menacing and she was indeed a munchkin standing before him as the red head crossed the distance.

"I said I was sorry." He was not in a mood to deal with girls like her. First off, Kagami slept in late and is now undoubtedly late. Second, his pride was still bothered by what Kuroko said that he doesn't stand a chance against the Generation of Miracles.

"I'm not deaf. But did you have to insult my height?" She crossed her arms, as much the ashen grey haired girl felt panicking deep inside, she had to bluff and come out strong.

"I was stating a fact, I'm late." Kagami replied, hardly bothered.

Before she could say anything, he left just like that.

Erika let out a sigh of relief or exasperation, she didn't know.

She walked in just in time for the next period to begin, seeing the red head talking to her seatmate. Ignoring the red head and sky haired boy, she sat on her chair, looking out the window and let inspiration possess her.


End file.
